Combined motor mechanism and control switch therefor



Sept. 20, 1938?. R. D, oNKLlN 2,130,764

COMBINED MOTOR MECHANISM AND CONTROL SWITCH THEREFOR `Roscoe D. Con/(H11 ATTORNEYS SePt- 20, 1938. R. D. coNKLlN 2,130,764

COMBINED MOTOR MECHANISM AND CONTROL SWITCH THEREFOR Filed Sept. 3 0, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 rl INVENTOR. 1 Roscoe Con/(lin Sept.` 20,l 1938.

y R. D. coNKLlN 2,130,764

Filed Sept. 50, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Roscoe Caldi/11,

BY I

ATTORNEYS fat its

Patented Sept. 20, 1938 PATENT oEFicE COMBINED MOTOR MECHANISM AND CON- TROL SWITCH THEREFOR Roscoe D. Conklin, Rahway, N. J., assigner to National Pneumatic Company,

New York,

N. Y., a. corporation of West Virginia Application September 30, 1937, Serial No. 166,683

1 Claim.

rlhis invention is directed to a form of mechanism comprising, in combination, a motor illustrated as of the pneumatic type,`and a control switch therefor incorporated in the connecting mechanism between the motor and the device t be operated.

A general object of this invention is the provision oi the combination of a device to be operated, such as a door, a motor for operating it, and .means for operatively connecting the two together, including in the connection acontrol switch for the motor. t

The many and detailed objects of this invention will become fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the drawings which illustrate two modifications thereof. v

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of parts, as exemplified in the following disclosure.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the mechanism in accordance with this invention, with some parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, partly in cross-section, with some parts broken away of the switch mechanism and its manner of connection to the Adevice to be operated, as for eX- `ample, a door when the door is in closed position and the switch is open.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the door in open position and the switch open.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the switch in closed position. y

Fig. 6 is a view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 showing the switch in open position.

Fig. '7 is a top plan view with some parts in section and some parts broken away of a modified form-of construction.

Fig. 8 is a view taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. '7.

It is common practice in the operation of the doors on vehicles such as buses, street cars, subway cars, and the like, by means of a motive device, eitherr electricor pneumatic, to provide a reversing switch on the forward edges of the doors, usually within a flexible casing, which closes when a door strikes an object in closing and thereby controls either directly or indirectly the motivedevice operating the door to reverse the supply of energy thereto to cause it to fully open. In some cases the incorporation of the reversing switches in exible casings on the forward edges of the doors is not desirable. The

for the motive device which inthe arrangement illustrated may be` a plate mounted directly over the door opening. At 2A and 3 are diagrammatically illustrated the top edges of a pair of doors which cooperate to close the opening. Supported on the plate I is the motive device which isillustrated as apneumatic motor of the dif-- ferential type comprising a large cylinder 4 and a small cylinder 5, united in longitudinal alignment and provided with a pair of connected pistons, not shown, in accordance with the usual practice. An air supply pipe connection 6 is made to the two cylinders ata point intermediate thepistons, in accordance with common practice, and is intended to be continuously connected to a source of constant air pressure. The opposite end of the large cylinderd is provided with an air supply pipe l, in accordance with common practice, which extends to the fluid supply source through an electromagnet control valve, not shown. As is well known, with such an arrangement the magnet Valve is normally, that is, when deenergized, in a position to supply air to the cylinder 4 through the pipe I while closing the pipe 'I to exhaust. The result is that the piston assembly is at its left hand position in Figures l and 2, the left hand end of cylinder 5 being open to the atmosphere. The motor assembly is supported from the plate I by means of brackets 4a. and 5a. Y

The end of the common piston rod for the piston assembly is shown at 8 projecting from the end ofthe cylinder 5 as it does when in door closed position as explained above. An L-shaped lever 9 is pivotally connected to the piston rod 8 by means of a pivot pin I0. Although it forms no part of this invention, there is shown a control switch I4 mounted on the top of the cylinder 5, the shaft I3 of which projects from the casing and has a lever I2 secured thereto. This lever is connected by the link II to thelever 9 so that the switch operates in conjunction with the movement of the motor.

The lever 9 is connected by a switch member I5 the housing ofwhich is provided with a threaded lug secured to the lever 9 and held thereon by a locknut. AThe switch I5 is pivotally connected in a manner to be described in greater detail hereinafter, by a pivot pin 3| to a short arm I6 which is secured to the upper end of the vertical door shaft I1, journaled at one end in a bearing member I8 on the plate I. The door 2 is secured to the shaft 1 in accordance with well known practice. The lever 9 is also pivotally interconnected with the door shaft, not shown, of the door 3 by means of a link I9 and the necessary well known mechanism, whereby when the motor piston assembly moves to the right in Fig. 1 the door shaft I1 will rotate in counterclockwise direction and the other shaft will rotate in clockwise direction to cause the doors 2 and 3 to swing in the same direction, as for example in Fig. l, upwardly.

The details of construction and the manner of operation of the switch I5 are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. The switch comprises a housing having a tubular extension 2| at one end closed by means of a removable plug 22. Within the housing is a spring 23 which rests at one end on a plug 22 and engages at the other end with a metal washer 24. On top of the washer 24 is an insulating washer 25 and on top of that is a cylindrical tubular insulating bushing 26. At the upper end of the bushing is a washer 28 which ts on the end of the bushing to hold in place a metal contact ring 21 mounted on the bushing, as shown. At 29 is a metal pin having an enlarged head and having its stem extending through the washers and bushing, as shown. The various washers, bushing pin and ring may, if desired all be secured together in a unit in any suitable manner as by means of cement, `if desired.

The end of the switch housing opposite the tubular portion 2| is bifurcated, as` shown, to provide a pair of ears 3l) which have aligned elongated openings 32. One end of the lever I6 lies between these ears, as shown, and has a circular opening through which a pivot pin 3| extends. Pivot pin 3| `lies in the elongated openings 32 so that it may slide therein in a manner to be explained later. As is clear from Fig. 6, the end of the lever I6 rests on the head of the pin 29 and being concentric with respect to the pin 3| may pivoton that pin and not cause the movement of the pin 29 and the assembly associated therewith or connected thereto.

The sides of the switch housing are provided with threaded bosses in which are mounted the insulated plugs 33. These plugs have central passages extending therethrough, the outer ends of which are larger than the inner ends and threaded. Mounted in the threaded ends of the passages are the metal cap screws 34 which serve to clamp the circuit wire terminal pieces 35 in place. The shanks of these screws are counterbored and in them rest the springs 36 which engage the contact plungers 31 slidably mounted in the other ends Vof the bores in the bushings 33. The contact plugs 31 bear against the bushing 26 when the parts are in normal position, but bear against the ring 21 thereby electrically interconnecting them when. the switch undergoes relative movement with respect to the end of the lever I6 against the resistance of spring 23, as may occur because of the elongated openings 32.

There is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the connector wires 38`which are attached to the terminal connectors 35 and extend in accordance with well known practice in the art to the magnet valve in the pipe line 1 and the current source.

The operation of this mechanism will now be described. In Figs. 1 and 2 the mechanism is disclosed in door closed position with the piston assembly at the extreme left so that the end 3 of the piston rod is exposed. In order to open the doors the magnet valve in the pipe line l is energized to close the pipe 1 off from the fluid pressure supply and open it to exhaust. This circuit is usually under the control of the vehicle operator. Since pressure fluid is continuously supplied between the pistons through the pipe 6, the piston assembly will move to the right withdrawing the end 8 of the piston rod into the open end of cylinder 5 causing the door shaft I1 to move in a counterclockwise direction in an obvious manner. As explained before, the other door shaft which is not shown will rotate in a counterclockwise direction through the connecting mechanism, not shown, attached to the link I9. This movement continues until the doors are fully opened in which position they will remain.

In order to close the doors the magnet valve in the pipe line 1 is deenergized supplying air to the right hand end of the large cylinder 4 through pipe 1. The piston assembly then begins to move to the left closing the doors.V It will be noted from a consideration `of Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, that in normal closing movements of the doors the pivot pin 3| will Abe held in the outer ends of the elongated openings 32 by spring 23 which is strong enough to prevent any movement thereof strikes an obstruction, such as the body of a passenger while closing, it will come to a stop but the piston assembly and connecting parts will tend to continue their movement, pushing the switch assembly ahead with respect to the lever I6 so thatV the pivot pin 3| is now at the other end of the slot 32. This movement will cause the pin 29 and the associated bushing assembly to move into the tubular portion 2l of the switch housing, compressing spring 23 and moving the contact ring into engagement with the contact plungers 31. These contact plungers are in a circuit to the magnet valve in the pipe 1 so that it is energized closing pipe 1 off from the fluid pressure supply and opening it to exhaust. The result is that the piston assembly immediately reverses its direction of movement, the pressure supply now only being through pipe 6 to cause the doors to fully open.

A modified form of structure which is double acting, having the same function as described above, is illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8. In this arrangement the open ended cylinder 5 is shown in cross-section and a portion of the small piston is shown at 5. The connecting link between the end 8 of the piston assembly and the shaft I6 is different from that previously described in this case. It comprises a tubular portion 4U having a. blfurcatedrend with alined elongated slots 4| connected to the end 8v of the means of pivot pin Il). The other end of the tubular housing 4D is closed by a removable plug 42 and serves to hold in place a spring 43 which engages a collar 45 mounted on a rod 44 which is slidably mounted in a hand endvof the housing 4B and a passage in the plug 42. The end 46 of the rod 44 rests against the end of the piston rod 8. Y

The connecting link is provided with an extension 41 which is pivotally connected to the link I 9 and with the lever I6 by means of a short link 56 p-rovided at one end with a threaded extension which ts thereinto and pivotally connected at the other end with the lever I6 by piston rod by from that position under normal conditions-30 However, if the door equipped with this device 5.65 passage in the right means of a pivot pin 52. Mounted on the extension 41 is a switch 48 in the housing of which is a lever 53 pivotally mounted at 54. Secured to this lever is a plug of insulating material 55 which lies in the opening in the switch housing in a position to engage the end of the rod 44. Pivotally mounted at 56 on the `lever 53 is an insulating arm 51 which has mounted thereon contact 58 in a position to engage a contact mounted on the lever 53. This contact is connected by a pigtail connector 59 to one of the terminals 60 of the switch. The lever 53 is connected to the other terminal Sil of the switch. A spring 6| lies between the housing of the switch and the lever 51, as illustrated, to hold it against a projection or shoulder 48a on the switch housing.

The parts are all shown in normal lposition with the switch 48 open. In this case should the doors strike an obstruction in closing, the doors will stop moving but the piston assembly will continue to move, causing the rod 44 to move to the left in Fig. 8 as spring 43 is compressed and moving lever 53 into a position to engage the Contact 58. The closing of this switch as before will effect energization of the magnet valve in the pipe 1 so that the engine may reverse and open the doors.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the features of this invention may be embodied in other physical forms without departure from the novelty and scope thereof. I do not therefore desire to be strictly limited to the description as given for purpose of illustration but rather to thel scope of the claim granted me.

What I claim is:

A combination as described including a motor, an object to be moved, a lever connected to said motor, a lever connected to said object, a pivot pin interconnecting said levers, one of said levers having an elongated slot in which said pin lies, a switch mounted on one of said levers and a spring for holding it in engagement with the other whereby excess pressure on said levers causes relative movement between them so that the pin slides in said slot and the switch is closed.

ROSCOE D. CONKLIN. 

